High temperatures don’t create sensitivity exclusive to the practice field.

It’s just as sweaty an issue in the administrative building at local high schools as they react to nine consecutive days of triple-digit temperatures in the Inland Empire.

“All it takes is one kid,” Chaffey High School athletic director and head football coach Chris Brown said. “We have to be cautious with this because of the effect it can have on any of these athletes. And the liability is just too high.”

Like many other area schools, Chaffey is moving football practices from immediately after school at approximately 3 p.m. to later in the day when temperatures have dropped. When field availability is in question, the football team practices in designated areas in the shade. Even the band’s time in the sun is closely monitored.

Football players’ helmets are required to be off when not participating in a drill and water breaks are taken early and often.

Bloomington High School has not only rescheduled its football practices for later in the day, it has removed the cross country team from the outdoors all together. As the volleyball team practices in the gym, the cross country team trains by running laps around them.

“We have a policy here that’s very simple,” Bloomington athletic director William Webb said. “We don’t endanger our kids. If there’s any uncertainty, if our trainer isn’t sure – and he’s board certified – we call an ambulance. We don’t play with it.

“I’ve been doing this for 31 years and I’ve seen too many situations in the past where people were, I don’t want to say indifferent, but weren’t proactive enough to prevent something.”

Bloomington empties its 300-pound ice machine on a daily basis in order to provide cool water to all its athletes.

Turns out cold water is being put to use in even more creative ways.

The turf that has replaced grass at many high school fields creates many advantages, but one of the few drawbacks is that it increases the temperature on the field.

Los Osos High School keeps its turf field cooler by spraying it down with water, but only before the heat reaches a certain level.

“If you wait too late it doesn’t cool it off, just creates like a musty feel,” Los Osos athletic director and head football coach Tom Martinez said. “Either way we try to alternate working our kids hard and then walking and talking then working hard again. Because it’s hot up here.”

Clay Fowler is the sports features and UCLA basketball writer for the Southern California News Group. He has been working for SCNG since 2006, when he moved to Southern California from his native Texas. He was born and raised in Dallas and graduated from the University of Texas in 2002. He lives in La Verne with his wife and son. He is probably craving Chinese food right now.